TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE : Common problems & solutions.

[Darek871]

Hi everybody,

Here are the main solutions that can be found today, regarding performance, crashes, lauching, sound or controller issues, collected in order to facilitate access to this game.

1/6-READ FIRST

These solutions are only feedbacks from different players and will never replace the help that the developer or the official support of the game can provide to you. They can work individually or combined, so it's advisable to test them one by one and try another one if the previous one doesn't work.

It's also advisable, before making any major modification to your system, to make all the necessary backups and write down your modifications on paper in the event that some of them prevent the proper functioning of another of your games or to reset to origin if the solution doesn't work.

2/6-PROBLEMS LAUNCHING, OPENING OR RUNNING THE GAME

- Verify systems requirements :
If you are not sure if your PC is strong enough, check minimum and recommended requirements for Days Gone. If you don't know the specs of your PC, on your keyboard press Win logo + R, then type dxdiag, Enter, check System and Display tabs.

- Check your antivirus and firewall autorisations :
Antivirus and firewall can prevent the game from launching correctly so, verify that this one is properly set and authorized allowing it to both run well on your PC and communicate with the cloud. You can also try to temporarily disable your antivirus.

- Install the Latest Game Patch :
To check if Days Gone is really up to date, close the game, then restart Steam for the updates to take effect.

- Verify the integrity of game files :
On Steam, right click on your game and select "Properties" then "Local Files" and "Verify integrity of game files".

- Test differents resolutions :
Your graphic card may not be able to support high resolutions, so you can try with a lower resolution. Right-click on the empty area of ​​your desktop, then select Display Settings and select a lower resolution.

- Try administrator mode :
Right click on the .exe file of the game in :
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Days Gone\BendGame\Binaries\Win64
Switch to the Compatibility tab and check "Run this program as administrator".

- Disable fullscreen optimisation :
Right click on the .exe file of the game in :
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Days Gone\BendGame\Binaries\Win64
Switch to the Compatibility tab and check "Disable fullscreen optimizations".
Then click "Change high DPI setting", Check the Override high DPI scaling behavior.

- Try compatibility mode :
Right click on the .exe file of the game in :
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Days Gone\BendGame\Binaries\Win64
Switch to the Compatibility tab, check "Run this program in compatibility mode for :"
Then choose "Windows 8", this manipulation oddly helped some players.

- Check you have the latest version of Win. 10, .NET Framework and Visual C++
To do this, visit the Microsoft site and download the latest supported versions.

- Try to reinstall the game :
If none of these solutions above has helped, try deleting and reinstalling Days Gone. Sometimes this can help to solve the issue and if you can, install the game on an SSD.

- Try to perform a clean boot in Windows :
A "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game.
For more information you can consult :
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows-da2f9573-6eec-00ad-2f8a-a97a1807f3dd

3/6-PROBLEMS LAUNCHING, LOWER FRAME RATES, INSTABILITIES, STUTTERS, FREEZES, CRASHES, BLACK SCREENS

- Restart your computer :
As simple as it is, this manipulation is sometimes enough to fix the game crash, whether the problem is caused by high CPU usage, overheating, or just a random error, rebooting the system will fix the problem.

- Update your graphics drivers :
To update your graphics driver, refer to the technical manual for your hardware.
For more information you can consult :
For INTEL :
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005629/graphics.html
For NVIDIA :
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
For AMD :
https://www.amd.com/en/support

- Adjust your game settings :
1/ In game, select "Options", then DISPLAY tab. and set following parameters :
WINDOW MODE : Borderless Windowed Mode ( you can also try other modes )
Players report another method : On Steam, right-click on the game, select Properties. In General, scroll down to Launch Options, add "-windowed -noborder" to the text bar.
RESOLUTION : Your Windows screen resolution
VSYNC : Disabled
FRAME RATE LIMITER : Unlimited ( a lower setting can also be tested )
2/ In game, select "Options", then DISPLAY tab. and set following parameters :
CHROMATIC ABERRATION : OFF
MOTION BLUR : OFF
LIGHTING QUALITY : LOW
GEOMETRY QUALITY : LOW
FOLIAGE DRAW DISTANCE : LOW
SHADOW QUALITY : LOW
CLOUD AND FOG QUALITY : LOW
TEXTURE FILTER QUALITY : LOW
TEXTURE STREAMING QUALITY : LOW
If then your game works, you can try to increase the performance one by one and gradually by testing each time. For more information about FPS, you can consult : https://gamertweak.com/days-gone-pc-best-settings/

- Disable all Overlays :
On Discord : Click the settings icon at the bottom of the page, click Overlay in the left panel and turn it off.
On GeForce Experience : Click the settings icon in the upper right corner and switch the option to disable it.
On Steam : Click on "Steam" in the top left corner and select Settings, click on "In a game" and disable overlay.

- Disable any third-party tool or overclocking :
Using third-party tools and software like MSI Afterburner or RGB Software can crash the game so disable them. Also, in case your GPU and/or your CPU are overclocked, revert them back to their default clock to avoid crashes. Other, capping the game’s Max FPS locking the game at 60 FPS or less if you are playing at unlocked FPS.
Also remember to check if the overclocking of your RAM is not the source of the game crashing. If the XMP/DOCP profiles are activated, test the game with the default mode.

- Turn-off SLI or Dual Monitors :
If you are running two screens or two graphics cards in SLI, this may cause an issue with your game. Deactivate SLI and unplug any extra screens and restart the game.

- Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling :
( Enable : For more FPS, Disable : for limit crashes )
(For Windows 10 – 2004 or newer, and compatible graphics circuit and the correct driver : GeForce version 451.48 or later for Nvidia GPUs, Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition driver version 20.5.1 or later for AMD, version 27.20.100.8190 or later for Intel – WDDM 2.7 compatible ( Windows Display Driver Model))
To enable, open W10 Settings, click on System, click on Display and click on the Graphics settings in the bottom right panel. Then, click the switch section "Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling" to enable and restart your PC.

- Customize graphics performance preferences :
W10 allows users to assign graphics performance preferences to specific programs. To assign the High Performance preference for Days Gone, open W10 Settings, click on system, click on Display and click on the Graphics settings in the bottom right panel. In the graphics performances preferences section, click the "Browse button" then open your game's installation folder :
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Days Gone\BendGame\Binaries\Win64
Click on "DaysGone.exe" and click on "Add". Then click on "Options", select "High performance" and click Save.

- Disable Windows 10 Game Mode :
Open W10 Settings, click on "Gaming" then select Game Mode and turn it off.

- Close Unnecessary Background Applications :
Open W10 Settings, click on "Privacy", Click "Background apps" on the left panel.
Under the heading Let apps run in the background press the button to desactivate it.

- Lower your mouse sensitivity (DPI) :
Having a high DPI increases mouse speed and therefore camera speed but can also create stutter in some games. You can lower your mouse DPI in several ways :
- by acting on the button specific to your mouse if it has one.
- by setting the number of PDI directly in the companion software of your mouse. We consider that a DPI setting between 400 and 800 is more than adequate.
- by going to Windows Settings : Mouse, in the left menu, click on "Additional mouse options". In the window that opens, click on the "Pointer options" tab and uncheck the "Improve pointer precision" box. Remember to always leave the default mouse speed in Windows. Changing the sensitivity would artificially increase or decrease the speed of the mouse without changing the DPI of the device, which would result in a loss of information and therefore precision. For more information, you can consult the following sites :
https://www.lesaventuresludiques.com/dpi-souris/
https://www.techadvisor.fr/tutoriel/ordinateurs/modifier-dpi-souris-3693695/
( to translate, thanks )

4/6-OTHER VARIOUS SOLUTIONS

If none of the solutions above worked, you can also try these :

- Limit frame rates for the game in NVIDIA control panel :
Nvidia Control Panel > Manage 3D settings > Program Settings Tab > Find Days Gone
If you need the path, look in steam > right click game > properties > browse local files.
Add the DaysGone.exe then select max frame rate and cap it at 60.
( the frequency must be below the refresh rate of your screen )

- Increase Virtual Memory :
https://www.windowscentral.com/how-change-virtual-memory-size-windows-10

- Try Direct X 11 :
In Steam, right-click on Days Gone then select "Properties". In the General Tab, go to the dialog box at the end of the page and enter : "-force-d3d11" and click OK.

- Switch off bluetooth headphones or speakers :
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1259420/discussions/search/?gidforum=3113647550042098907&include_deleted=1&q=bluetooth

- Rename the Movies Folder :
Renaming the Movies folder can sometimes help to fix problems. For that go to :
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Days Gone\BendGame\Content\Movies
Rename the folder like "Movies_renamed" for exemple.

- Delete the third party folder "CRS" : ( collecting data )
In rare cases, it seems that deleting the CRS folder can fix problems. You can find it here :
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Days Gone\Engine\Binaries\ThirdParty\CRS
( it is advisable to save this file before any action )
If you don't want to delete it, you can try to block data collection ( untested ! ) :
https://www.gamepretty.com/days-gone-how-to-prevent-it-from-collecting-data-offline-mode/

- Turn off control flow guard :
In the windows search box, type "Exploit protection", go to the "Program settings" tab to add Days Gone and turn off "Control flow guard". This can help with framepacing issues even massive dips in your game as well as stuttering.

- Ryzen TPM stuttering bug in Windows 11 :
To use W11, the "TPM" option must be activated in the Bios. A big bug recognized by AMD, appeared among users of RYZEN processors and causing big slowdowns of the computer in general and more particularly in games. This problem is solved by updating the bios of the motherboard, which must have in its patch the version "AGESA 1207".
For more information, see this link :
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/ryzen-tpm-stuttering-bug-windows-11-patch/#:~:text=Ryzen%20CPUs%20experienced%20stuttering%20with,doing%20work%20in%20the%20background

- Test your hardware :
A malfunction of the game can be caused by a technical problem on your machine, it is rare but it can happen even if the machine is recent or new.
- RAM test : it may have a manufacturing defect and to make sure otherwise you can do an in-depth test with this tool : https://www.memtest86.com/
(I do not recommend the tool provided in Windows, it is not 100% reliable)
- HDD/SSD test : discs may have a manufacturing defect or a wear defect and to make sure otherwise you can do an in-depth test with this tool : https://hddscan.com/

5/6-AUDIO PROBLEMS

Check that the right setting audio output/sound device is selected for the game in Windows. Open Windows settings > System > Sound > App volume & device preferences under Advanced sound options.
Some players have also had their in-game sound issue fixed by renaming the Movies folder. Refer to the corresponding section upper in this guide.

6/6-CONTROLLERS PROBLEMS

Some players are finding that the analog sticks on their controller aren’t working when trying to play Days Gone. You can find the solution to the problem here :
https://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/681818-days-gone-pc-analog-sticks-dont-work-fix

Version 1.3.1
13/01/2023

[simon.pete15]

Good problem fixing guide

[Darek871]

Thanks !
I would like this topic to be pinned at the top of the general discussion before it disappears from the radar but Bend Studio doesn't seem to want it. The goal was to make it useful ...

[simon.pete15]

Doubt it's anything to do with Bend Studios OR Sony. More likely it hasn't come to the attention of Steam Community moderators yet.
Have you posted it in the 'Guides' section??

[Darek871]

No I thought it would be more effective pinned at the top of the general forum, because we know very well that people will never look at the sub-forums, consult the guides or even do research before asking their question.

[simon.pete15]

Originally posted by Darek871:

No I thought it would be more effective pinned at the top of the general forum, because we know very well that people will never look at the sub-forums, consult the guides or even do research before asking their question.

While this is largely true, there are people who look in the Guides section.
Although, tbh, most don't even look at the first few posts. They just come in, all guns blazing, ""Help Help Help, I'm going to die if you don't tell me how to fix this!".
Look one line above your post dude, that exact same problem is answered there

[Darek871]

I'm not sure that many players look at the guides to troubleshoot their game. In fact, I looked and there is no category dedicated to troubleshooting. I'm willing to try to create one but I'm afraid I'm wasting my time again...

[simon.pete15]

Well I'll direct people to this, instead of trying to figure it out myself, or just constantly reposting the same stuff and probably forgetting something.
And if they give you an upvote, or whatever, it'll stay near the top of the forum page

[Chisto]

I'd like to get some help with the game, I have an issue with my switch pro controller and this game, everything works fine except, that whenever I try using my bike (use throtlle) it doesn´t work I need help please! I was able to complete the tutorial or the intro but I had to switch to mouse and keyboards, help please!

[simon.pete15]

Have you got it set up correctly in the controller settings menu?

https://www.pcgamer.com/how-to-use-a-nintendo-switch-pro-controller-on-pc/

[simon.pete15]

Darek871, have you seen this solution to a freeze?

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198921074559/commentnotifications/

Perhaps you can add it to your own 'problem solving post?
You'll probably have to give a bit more detail on how to do it.

[Darek871]

The link doesn't work ...

[simon.pete15]

Originally posted by Darek871:

The link doesn't work ...

Bugger :(

Last few posts in the Boozer Frozen Cap 15 - thread

[Darek871]

I've looked all over the internet regarding Days Gone and haven't seen this solution, so I think it's a pretty isolated case. If the game works again afterwards, it could just as well mean that the player has problems with his hard disk and that the new files have moved to healthy places on his disk.

It's like me yesterday, I got a blackscreen at the end of a cutscene, and I just forced the game to close, restarted the PC and it worked again. It's probably something ancillary to all of this that made the game work again.

Another example, there is a mini-guide on Steam that putting the game in W8 compatibility mode would solve certain problems. There's no reason for that as Days gone was made for W10 if I'm not mistaken, but doing it must have done something else in parallel.

"The mysteries of computing" as they say at home! :-)

[simon.pete15]

I'm on W 10, no major problems from day 1.

Possibly if he'd simply 'Verified Game Files', it would have worked just as well.
I don't know. All I'd been doing was repeating individual 'fixes' that I'd seen, which seemed to apply to the particular problem. Now I just direct them to your post ^^

[Darek871]

Originally posted by simon.pete15:

I'm on W 10, no major problems from day 1.

Possibly if he'd simply 'Verified Game Files', it would have worked just as well.
I don't know. All I'd been doing was repeating individual 'fixes' that I'd seen, which seemed to apply to the particular problem. Now I just direct them to your post ^^

So let them search a bit, nobody reads my post ! lol